Year-end totals for murders rose in eight of the nation’s 10 largest cities: Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio and San Diego. That contributed to a 6.7 percent murder rate increase in cities with populations over 1 million people.

The murder rate dropped in two other big cities, Dallas and Los Angeles. And it plummeted by an overall 11.9 percent in smaller cities, towns and rural areas, the data show.

What does this say about guns being the source of the problem? Small towns, cities, and rural areas tend to have a much higher percentage of households with firearms, and yet have plummeting crime rates. Of the cities they list that have had an increasing murder rate, Chicago and New York have a ban or a defacto ban on guns. Las Vegas has registration of all firearms. San Diego operates under California’s strict laws, which includes registration, waiting periods, gun safety rules, and one-gun-a-month. Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Houston are in states with liberal guns laws and preemption.